


seagulls and seashells

by imnotacyborg



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Drabbles, It was just one chapter how did this happen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-10-08 02:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10375692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnotacyborg/pseuds/imnotacyborg
Summary: You just make me smile without even trying, darling.





	1. the cool breeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Braids. What a beautiful Hylian hairstyle.

Sidon frowned slightly, looking at the dark blond strands between the tips of his fingers. Link was silent, as he was most of the times, iddly trying to rub the brownish red stains from his blue tunic in the clear water of the lake, every once in a while scratching the bandages around his arm (Sidon was quite proud of his work, but he could understand it itched like the devil). Sidon hmmed to himself and slowly tried to put three of the strands together, tying them around each other with no sucess.

"Tell me, my friend" Sidon mumbled, grabbing more strands, leaving only the sideburns hanging,"Have you ever thought about dying your hair? I hear it's all the rage between the Hylians now".

Link considered his question for a second and tilted his head to the side.

"I don't think I could choose the colour and keep it. I'd want to change it everyday" He said in his low, rarely used voice. Sidon chuckled.

"I can understand the conflict. Colours are such a beautiful thing to put everywhere, aren't they?"

Link smiled softly, making Sidon's heart beat slightly faster and a faint yellow blush appear in his cheeks. Link could make him wobble with such simple gestures that it amazed the Zora prince  _every time._

Sidon shifted in his place, lying down in one of the large rocks near the lake, discreetely looking at the scars on Link's shoulders. Marks of a brave warrior. It made Sidon appreciate his own scars even more, they showed to the world that he had fought, had won, had kept living with his own strength pushing him on.

Link finally gave up on cleaning his tunic, he probably would find a way to fix the stains Sidon knew he would, and began looking around the lake, keeping the comfortable silence between them.

Sidon had decided to keep only four fine strands between his fingers, and again began tying them around each other. One, two, three, four. One above the other. Repeat, don't let one of the locks get astray. One, two, three, four. Seemed okay, wasn't untangling between his fingers. One, two, three, four; Done! Now, he just needed something to tie it together.

Was there....

"Erm... my friend?"

"Hmm?"

"Where's your hair tie? The blue one?"

"Ah... It snapped while I was getting the shock arrows".

"Oh, I understand" He understood  _very_ well. Lynel could be a cruel beast. Well, he'd just have to find something else to tie the blond hair locked between his fingers.

Sidon looked at his own figurine, trying to find something, some kind of lace, ribbon  _anything_ , that could keep the small braid in place, something  _pretty_ like the Champion in front of him but, saddly, found nothing small enough to use. He tutted to himself.

"Hey" Link mumbled, "It's ok, I don't mind letting my hair down"

Sidon shook his head, stubbornly keeping his hand in place. "I will find something, don't worry my dear".

His gaze set on the blue band around his torso, the band that told each passerby he was part of the Zora Royal Family, the one that had been passed over for hundreds of generations. He paused in thought.

"Sidon?"

The tip near his hip was perfect! And nobody would notice it missing! 

Carefully keeping his left hand in place, Sidon used his claws to slowly tear a small part of the band off. He extended his arm until his hand was near Link's face.

"What do you think?"

"It's...a really nice colour. But wait, isn't that..."

"Oh, don't worry! Your braid will be perfect I assure you".

Sidon slowly tied the small blue band around the blond strands and slowly stepped away to admire his own work.

"There it is! You are all done!"

Link finally turned to him and Sidon could feel the heat returning to his cheeks. Somehow, the braid had made Link's face more  _open_ _ed_. Sidon could clearly see his blue eyes staring at him, reflecting the sun's light just like the lake's water. Link furrowed his eyebrows.

"Are you ok?"

Sidon felt his mouth open against his will, opening and closing just like a Hyrule Bass, swallowed and nodded.

"You...You look beautiful, my friend! The braid compliments you very well!"

 _Oh dear_ , Link was blushing! Looking to the side and blushing! Sidon almost didn't noticed his whispered "thank you" over his own lack of words.

"We... We can go swimming now, if you want" Link mumbled, still looking at the rocks near his feet. Sidon nodded, knowing that there was the most huge and happy grin on his face.


	2. the wind along the waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Sidon was young, so young for a Zora, he met the future Hylian Champion....

Mipha was talking with the small Hylian again, putting bandages on his face and applying medicine to the wounds on his knees. Sidon was watching everything from behind the pillar, keeping attention in both the pretty colours on the sky and the focused look on his sister's face. He couldn't look at the Hylian's face, his back was turned to him.

It's been some weeks since Mipha began her travels to Hyrule Castle, only recently the Hylian began to come to Zora's Domain with her. They were often out to play, read the old books on the Royal Library or simply enjoy a small talk between them. Mipha more often than not called Sidon to join them, but he always denied, feeling a small cold void on the deep of his stomach whenever he thought about approaching the Hylian; Not even Mipha's soothing presence could bring him to approach.

His head snapped up when he heard Mipha standing up, and watched as she said something to the Hylian and quickly walked to one of the stairs nearby, probably out to grab something for the Hylian's wounds. She was an excelent healer, always focused but at the same time gentle. Sidon aspired to be just like her when he grew up.

He was about to go back to watching the sky when he heard some shuffling sounds and looked back down to see the Hylian trying to get up, trying to stretch his legs but hissing as he did so.

"Hey!" Sidon found himself yelling, "Stay down! Sister worked hard on you!"

The Hylian's shoulders stiffened. Sidon, in shock with his own reaction, quickly closed his mouth and covered it with his hand. He had been so rude! That wasn't the way his father had teached him! You never outwardly acted rude to someone, unless they did something really bad to you or someone you love! The Hylian hadn't really...made something bad.

Finally snapping out of his own thoughts, Sidon heard a small laugh and looked at the Hylian. The Hylian was smiling at him. A gentle smile.

_His eyes look like the sea._

"Sorry!" the Hylian chuckled, sitting back down,"She really did, didn't she? I apologize. Promise I won't move again".

Sidon slowly nodded, his brain still trying to understand what had happened. He swallowed and shyly stepped forward.

"She..."Sidon began, hesitant "She's training to be a really good healer! She loves taking care of people and seeing them smile. I believe in her, she'll be the best healer ever!" He blinked at his own passionate answer, but quickly went back to the Hylian, keeping his proud posture.

Only then, Sidon took a really good look at the Hylian. He was, indeed, really small, a little smaller than Mipha. His eyes were blue, so blue, Sidon could imagine the seagulls flying above him. His nose bridge was covered with a small bandage, there was a scratch on his cheek, going from his left cheek to the corner of his mouth, but it was no longer bleeding. There were scratches on his knees, deep purple and surrounded by little bruises, covered in blue medicine. Sidon blinked again.

"What happened to you? Someone hit you?!"

The Hylian seemed surprised by his question and quickly shook his head.

"Oh, no! Nobody hit me. Well....kinda. I was training with the king's soldiers. I want to be strong!" He smiled, "So I can help your sister protect everyone!"

Sidon could tell his mouth was open in amazement. There was someone to help his sister! Someone who was training to be strong and protect everyone just like her! He was so grateful!

"Please!" Sidon raised his fists, looking intensely at the Hylian, "Please, tell me your name!"

The Hylian smiled.

"My name's Link".

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, a second chapter and probably the last one!! (unless i find more ideas...)  
> I'll do fanart for both on the weekend, probably i'll post it on my blog and add it here later on.  
> And thank you everyone for the kudos and comments!!! omg i appreciate them a lot!!


	3. the sand between your toes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> those days when you just can't seem to drop your smile

The cave entrance was just ahead the trail. Sidon put his hand on his back, just to assure himself  _again_ that his spear and his sword were there, and looked at Link, who was turning around with the.... What was the name again? Sheikah Slate? And tapping, apparently, random places on the map on the screen, creating small colourful pinpoints.

"That book said the ingredients were here" Link mumbled, putting the Sheikah Slate back on his belt, "Purah said the book might be outdated, so... there might not be anything inside".

Sidon hmmed and took another look around, promising to himself he'd keep the beautiful scenery on his head for future paintings.

"I don't mind, actually" Sidon gave Link a reassuring smile, brushing the hair strands off his face, "I live for the experience, my dear. Not for the reward".

Link gave him a beaming grin, taking hold of his hand and leading them inside the cave.

 

 

**2\. the small crabs near the shore**

He was almost out of blue painting, but apparently this was a common problem between Zora artists. There was just so much blue in Zora's Domain, that different tones of the most different blues were always required. And Sidon was running out of turquoise. But who could blame him? He loved painting Link's eyes on the few canvas he appeared with the tiniest, most complex details.

Sidon looked up again, trying to muffle his laughter.

"My friend, I can't paint you if you don't stay still!"

Link pouted at him, reluctantly putting the Zora spear down. The chair he was sitting on was made specially for Zoras, bigger ones like Sidon, so his toes weren't even close to touching the floor. Every now and then Link mindlessly swung his feet back and forth, reminding Sidon of an impacient child. But he could understand the struggle. Link was a warrior, it was hard to stay still for so long. Sidon knew that feeling very well.

He was sitting on one of the biggest balconies in Zora's Domain. The summer weather brought with it warm breezes and the faint smell of grass and the old trees nearby. Sidon was silently very proud of himself for being able to capture the wind playing with Link's hair on his painting, making sure the light was just the right angle to highlight the beautiful pair of blue eyes.

"Aaaand..." Sidon used his last drop of turquoise paint on the corner, feeling his chest get slightly warm when the colour fit it just right, "Done! You can move again freely, my friend!"

Took a while for Sidon to notice the silence from the small Hylian. He looked up and saw Link staring at his feet, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Dear? What's wrong?"

Link looked up and swung his feet again.

"I... I can't get down".

 

 

 **3.**   **the shiny rocks under the water**

Sidon gulped, looking at the bundle wrapped in his arms. The fish was fresh, he had just caught it, but his stomach was still in knots. Would Link like Hyrule Bass? Or should Sidon ask him, before choosing another fish for the courting? But it could take long! Too long! He just hopped Link could forgive him.

 _He's coming!_ Sidon quickly adjusted his posture, made sure his gravat was in the right position and kept the Zora Sapphire in sight. He was ready!

Link quickly saw him and sent him a smile, walking in his direction while untying the bow from his waist and putting it on his back. 

"Hey" Link smiled, but quickly frowned. "Are you alright? You seem nervous".

Sidon swallowed dry, nodded, and bowed at the waist, extending the wrap in his hands to Link.

"My friend!" Sidon took a deep breath, "Please accept my gift! And if you could allow me the honour to be your partner, I'd be deeply glad!" 

Link blinked and slowly took the fish off Sidon's hands, furrowing his eyebrows.  

"The... honour?" Link cocked his head to the side and smiled, "I accepted you long ago, you know that, right? No need to give me gifts, dear".

Sidon looked up, and his expression was probably  _something_ because Link was trying to hide his giggles. Or he could be looking at Sidon's headtail wagging again. This always amused him. 

 

 

**4\. your smile when you see the sun**

Link was telling him a story, one of his adventures, those small ones that he knew Sidon loved to listen. Sidon knew he had a small smile on his face. He knew because whenever Link was near, there was a smile on his face. 

Link said something, something that made Sidon chuckle and he could feel his headtail wagging. Link giggled and tried to take a hold on it, but Sidon quickly wrapped one of his arms around the Hylian's thighs, making sure he wouldn't fall from his shoulder. They weren't done with their walk yet. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a bunch of doodles i wrote and forgot to post!!   
> oh, and the fanart for cap 1 is being made, i'm just too lazy (and maybe just maybe kinda busy) to finish it, but Link and   
> Sidon are already done!  
> and thanks everyone who went to my blog to send me thanks!!! I LOVE ALL OF YOU <3 <3


	4. the storms near the shore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They just weren't fast enough.

If there was a time to curse the moon, it was it. The red skies were glaring at them, laughing and making clear they wouldn't leave with their bodies intact.

Sidon gasped. Another arrow on his shoulder. By this point there should be probably three of them pierced on his back. He wasn't exactly worried, they weren't poisoned, and neither of them came even close of reaching a vital point. Besides, his Zora skin was thick, hard to pierce through. He would be fine.

His spear wouldn't be useful in this fight. He  _knew_ he should have brought his bow with him the moment Link said "Bokoblin camp". He knew it. His sword had broke midway into the fight, he had used one of Link's spare swords to bring them to where they were, leaving Link to fully rely on his own divine sword. Which had lost it's power while they were running away. 

They weren't counting with the Bokoblin's own surprise element. A Hinox. A fully grown one, that brought with it another small army of Bokoblins. They had to run away.

Link yelled something along the lines of "They are getting closer, go to the water! Quickly!", but Sidon knew very well Link could barely swin, he could run like the wind but his skills on water weren't the same. So Sidon, silently, vowed to himself he wouldn't leave Link alone. Not here, not anywhere.

He felt his chest get cold for a second when Link suddenly screeched in pain. He looked back and saw the tail of an arrow coming out of Link's right leg and another out of his left shoulder, making the Hylian drop his shield in pain. But he never stopped running. 

Sidon took a deep breath, put more more power on his legs to run faster just  _for a few more seconds just enough_ to grab Link by his waist, dart quickly to the nearest lake and throw both of them in.

Sidon unconsciouly closed his eyes the moment he felt water touch his entire body. He instantly felt the familiar feeling of  _home_ , of  _being safe_. The arrows on his back still made his muscles pulse painfully, but the pain had dulled significantly.  _Wait_.

_Link!_

His eyes snapped open, quickly spotting the Hylian. Link was struggling to  _breath_ , to get out of water, to take the arrows of his body because they just weren't done yet. Sidon swam to his side the fastest he could, wrapped the Hylian in his arms and took a look around.  _There!_ A passage to Zora's Domain.

Sidon was relieved for a second for being one of the quickest Zoras in the Domain. His body darted through the waterways, his arms keeping Link close to him. The Hylian was getting red, Sidon knew he soon would run out of air.  _He had to be quicker, faster save Link quick faster_.

For his relief, he soon saw the blue lights that confirmed they had arrived safely. Well, safe enough. Link's cheeks were about to get purple when they burst out of water, the small Hylian quickly sucking air into his lungs. 

Link got on his knees, still gasping for air, and pulled Sidon's shoulder until he turned around, allowing the Hylian full view of the arrows pierced on his back. Link's breath trembled and he delicately put his small hands near one of the arrows.

"Are you ok? Are you breathing well? I think I have some potions to dull the pain, I--"

Sidon turned around again and put his hands on each side of Link's face.

"Shh..." Sidon cooed, giving a small smile to the Hylian. "I'm alright, Link.  _We_ are safe".

Link shakily nodded, gave Sidon a weak smile, and looked back to the sky. The moon's blood red colour seeming like a far away memory now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by this point, i'm fully avoiding studying for my sociology test and popping out drabbles  
> the test is tomorrow  
> oh well


	5. Feet sure are nice! Let's run!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ponyo! AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOBODY ON THIS FANDOM CAN BLAME ME  
> also, the gake ue no ponyo song is stuck on my head.  
> if anyone has ideas for aus, please tell me!!! i might try writing it  
> 

Link bite his lip, looking at his feet. His teacher had scolded him again, but Link couldn't blame him. By this point, he  _should_ be able to fight an actual  _iving_ enemy, but his hands could barely keep wrapped around the sword's hilt, much less swing it at an enemy trying to attack the royal family. He was tired. He was exhausted, and sad, and frustrated, but mostly he felt lonely. He always trained alone, only him and his teacher. For some reason, he was separated from the other recruits. Neither his teacher nor the King explained why.

So he had escaped in the middle of the night, sneaking out through the small window on his room. He would be back before morning, of course. Being frustrated didn't mean he would delay his duties. He just... had to spent some time alone. Away from all the weight he carried inside the castle.

He ran to the small beach kilometers behind the castle. Almost nobody went there, so he was always by himself in his few trips to the fine line of sand. He took with him a small bag with some apples and a bottle with water, in case he got thirsty. His feet were bare, happy in feeling and being buried under the cold sand. His books about travels always said that beaches were filled with seashells, cool breezes and warm sun. But he hadn't seem nor felt none of it, besides the sand, so far. Deep in his mind, in a place he didn't dare go nowadays, he wish he could simply travel to where real beaches were, covered in warm sun and pretty seashells and breezes that would mess with his hair and make him giggle. He just wanted that, but it didn't matter now. 

He refused to acknowledge the tears accumulating on the corner of his eyes. He took a look around and his eyes stopped on a tree branch thrown on the other tip of the line of sand. He walked in it's direction and firmly grabbed it with his hands, took a deep breath and adjusted his posture, just like his teacher used to make him do in the beginning of his training. He took a few experimental swings with the branch. The balance was totally wrong, it felt clumsy in his hands, but he would make it work.

He swung the branch again, each swing stronger than the last one. Every so often, the tips of the branch would whip at his ankles, but the cold numbed the feeling on his legs, and he didn't dare stop. He would make his swordsmanship  _perfect_ , he would be the best knight the King ever saw, he would be _so good_ his teacher-- 

Link slowed the down his swings until he fully stopped. His shoulders dropped with a weight he couldn't bring himself to recognize. Easy to say, hard to make. 

Somewhere out of his mind, he heard something splashing on the shore. Took him a few seconds to come out of his haze. When it happened, he took a look around and his eyes stopped on something tiny, colourful, wiggling on the sand near the water. Probably a fish that accidentaly jumped out of the water. Link sighed. He probably should help the small thing go back.

He dropped the tree branch carelessly and wrapped the tiny fish on his... Wait.

It wasn't a fish. Not a normal one at least.

It kept wiggling around on his hands, but stopped suddenly, and Link saw big golden eyes staring at him silently, as if curiosity had taken the fish- not exactly a fish- need to go back to water away. Link cocked his head. The fish did the same thing. Only now Link paid real attention to the fish's form. It didn't exactly looked like a fish, more like a really small Zora child. It had the same tail on it's head, it's colour was a deep red and small pink dots lithered the side of it's headtail. The underside was creamy white, it's tiny hands covered with small yellow claws.

The fish suddenly went back to wiggling again and Link quickly approached the water but, for some reason, the fish seemed really against going back to it, wiggling closer to Link's thumb rather than in the direction of the sea. Link gave a small confused yelp and searched somewhere to put the fish in. 

His eyes stopped on the bottle inside of his bag. It was full of water!

Link pulled the cork of the bottle with his teeth and quickly shoved the fish inside, feeling great relief when the fish took a swim around the bottle and went back to the surface, giving Link another curious look. Link gave the fish a week smile.

"You scared me for a second" He whispered, and a side of him felt silly for talking to a fish. It probably didn't understood him, but...Well, it probably was the first friendly conversation Link had in weeks.

He gasped when suddenly water was shoot at his face. He whipped it away with his shirt and glared at the fish, pouting. "Why did you do that?". The fish just stared back and flipped around the bottle a bit more. Link sighed and looked at the sky.

"I should head back soon" He wasn't really feeling eager to go back, but he had his responsabillities waiting for him. He should just release the fish. 

He heard a tiny  _tap tap_ and looked down to see the fish staring at something behind Link. He turned around and saw the apples spilled out of the bag. Link hmmed and grabbed one of them.

"You are hungry?" Link asked, taking a small piece of the apple and putting it near the surface of the water. The fish snatched it out of his fingers, chewing the apple as if it was the most delicious thing it had ever tasted. Link giggled and gave him another bite.

"My name's Link, by the way" Link mumbled, picking a piece of the apple for himself. A side of him still argued against him talking to a fish, calling himself crazy, but by this point he ignored it completely.

"What if I gave you a name?" Link wondered, looking at the ocean. The fish cocked it's head to the side again. Probably mimicking Link's gestures. "Maybe... Japas?"

Link gave a startled laugh when the fish turned it's back to him, almost like a sulking toddler. It probably didn't liked the name.

"Then... Poseidon? You know, like one of the first Zoras created?"

The fish turned slightly around, as if considering.

"Poseidon...  _Sei_ _don_....  _Sydon_...." The fish looked like it was wincing. Link were never good with names. " _Sidon?_ "

The fish turned fully around and gave him what looked like a smile, and began swimming around contentedly. Link smiled and rubbed the tail on it's head with a finger. 

"Sidon. It's settled then! I'll let you go back to your home, alright Sidon?"

"Link!"

Link jumped, looking around. Had he been found? Had they followed him to the beach? Had they--

"Sidon!"

Link gasped. He looked back at Sidon and saw him on the surface again, smiling at him.

"Sidon loves Link!" The fish squeaked.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, this chapter is kinda crappy...


	6. your eyes on the rising sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> featuring short haired Link!!

 

Sidon growled, stabbing the guts of the Bokoblin with his Silver Trident. He didn't care for the stains on his armour or the purple ashes that followed the defeat of the small, annoying monster; they were almost done anyway. Sidon never said it out loud, mostly because he never had the chance, but he took pride in the fact Link and him were a perfect couple in battle, ending everything quickly and harmless.

He took a brief second to take some air, looking around to find the Hylian. Link was making quick work of a group of blue Bokoblins trying to corner him, dodging and running around, deflecting any hit trying to reach his vital points. Sidon gave a silent, proud smile to himself.

His smile dropped when he felt a small, sharp pain on his arm, making him drop his trident.

His scowl returning, Sidon turned around and showed his sharp teeth to the laughing Bokoblin on the top of the great tree,armed with a bow and a small rustic dagger. Sidon snorted, rotated his shoulders,grabbed his trident from the floor and targeted it at the Bokoblin, throwing and hitting the monster with the accuracy his father always called "amazing". He reserved to himself the right to a pat on his back, watching the monster turn to ashes, leaving only the bow, the rustic dagger and a few fire arrows inside a fire-proof leather bag.

Hmming to himself, Sidon tied the bag to his belt, used his good arm to get the trident and turned around to find another target. His stomach turned cold.

He turned fast enough to witness Link trying to stop a Bokoblin from using a thunder dagger. The Bokoblin, taking Link's opened posture, stabbed the Hylian's right leg with it, making Link fall to the earth, screaming and trembling.

Sidon roared, ran in the direction of the Hylian,but two of the blue Bokoblins held his legs, making him trip and drop his trident. Another roar soared from his throat. Sidon, using his claws, teared bits of the ears and eyes of the Bokoblins, wiggling and kicking them to force his escape.

But he wasn't fast enough.

All Sidon heard was the Bokoblins screams. He freed himself fast enough to see Link grab the thunder dagger dropped on the floor. Sidon's stomach got cold when he saw the only reason the dagger had been dropped, was because the Bokoblin had found an axe, and was now using one of his hands to hold it, and the other to pull Link's hair, forcing him to expose his neck.  
Link, grinding his teeth, swung his arm back, hitting the hilt of the Bokoblin's stomach, trying to make it let go of his hair. But all the Bokoblin did was laugh, dodge, and press the axe to Link's throat. Sidon swallowed and screamed.

Link, clenching his arm muscles, put the dagger behind his head and pushed it up, tearing apart each single strand of hair between the dagger and the Bokoblin's hand.  
Sidon watched, mesmerised, as the now short-haired Link took the Bokoblin's second of surprise to turn around and slash it's throat open, turning another monster into ashes.

In a matter of minutes, they were surrounded by small piles of purple and black ash, and old easily breakable bows and arrows. And blond strands of hair.

Sidon looked at the choppy tips of Link's hair. He was incredibly relieved Link was alive and well, but he also felt a pang of sadness for the no long shoulder-lenght hair. He would miss turning around on a windy day just to see Link sputtering and taking his hair off his mouth. He'd miss braiding Link's hair while he was asleep after a lengthy battle. He would miss secretly buying Link pretty jewels for him to braid on his hair.

Link turned to Sidon, biting his lip. He took a deep breath and passed his fingers between the short tips.

"You don't... Have to look so sad, you know? It'll grow back, eventually".

Sidon blinked. Link was worried about _his_ reaction to his short hair? But--

"Oh no, my dear, no! To be honest, I was thinking... This can be a new experience, yes? It'll sure be easier to put flowers on your hair now. And your bedhair will surely be amazing".

Link grinned, getting on his tip toes. Sidon knew very well what this meant.  
He bent down, allowing the Hylian an easier reach for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Link will be back to long hair next chapter.


	7. the sun is gone in winter, but the sea is still lovely as ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern Day! AU a bit inspired by a scene from Ponyo (again)

The parking lot was a slippery trap. Sidon almost dropped the bag with the eggs  _twice_ , his hair was sticking to his face, and Epona, the tiny yapping ball, couldn't be happier. Link didn't seem even slightly fazed by the heavy hair falling on their heads, walking calmly to their small car parked on the other corner of the parking lot. His steps were firm, not even touching the small puddles that appeared here and there. Though his hair was also sticking to his face. Epona was still wagging her tail and yapping.  

"Dear," Sidon said, avoiding another puddle, "Are you sure you want to drive under such heavy rain? The road might be dangerous". 

Link shrugged, giving Sidon a small smile and covering his head with his mint-green hoodie, as if reassuring Sidon they were protected from the rain. Epona jumped inside a puddle half-full with mud, staining her tiny white paws. Well, they would sure have to clean the car later. Sidon shrugged to himself. 

They finally found their car, totally drenched in water. Link took the bags from Sidon's hands and shoved all of them on the backseat, leaving the door opened for a few more seconds until Epona noticed and happily jumped inside, her wagging tail hitting against the plastic bags in quick motions. Sidon couldn't help but laugh at their dog's goofyness.

Link, hmming a little song to himself, clicked on the seatbelt and started the engine, driving out of the parking lot and into the road. Sidon gulped and held on the seat tightly. 

Sidon would never,  _ever_ , tell Link this but... Link was a Road Devil. Sidon was a hundred percent sure of it. The boy went on without caring for rain, typhoons, falling rocks or any other crazy thing the goddesses tried to put in the middle of the road to stop him. He would just press the gas and go on. Full speed.

Epona yapped, startling Sidon with a sudden jump to his lap. She tapped her nose on the window, wanting it open to put her head out, as she always liked to do whenever Link was the one driving. But Sidon held on her tiny body tightly, afraid the wind and rain would somehow take her away. Both of them would be devastated if such a (impossible and silly) thing happened. And Link was still going at full speed. 

Luckily for them, the road to their house near the higher point of the hill was empty, so Link was free to drive however he wanted. That meant going  over curves and climbs as quickly as the car could, making Sidon almost swallow and spit his heart out. But Link kept such a calm face, still hmming the tingle from the Crazy Tracy cookies ad they saw on the market and every so often making small comments about their week. Sidon was feeling both deep love and extreme fear for his boyfriend. 

They soon saw their small house, still a shining beacon under the grey clouds and heavy rain. Link parked their small car near the door, turned to Sidon and stopped, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you ok?"

Sidon nodded mutely, letting Epona get out to happily stain the floor with her muddy paws. He took a deep breath and held on Link's hand, letting his heart calm down. Link smiled and let him take his time.

 

They went inside, taking their shoes off near the door. Sidon smirked and untied his hair, shook his head widely and let the long red strands spray water all over Link's face. The small Hylian shrieked, trying to stand on his tip topes to hold Sidon's head in place. They were both giggling like silly children. Just like they were before. 

Link went to the bathroom while Sidon worked on cleaning Epona's paws, much to her changrin. Both the coffee table, the roof (Sidon would never find out  _how_ she did that), and the couch were covered in tiny paw-shaped mud stains. Epona pulled her paw slightly, trying to save the bit of mud still left. Sidon clicked his tongue and grinned at her, cleaning the last stains left. Epona nipped his fingers angrily and ran off to her bed covered in toys in the living room. 

Link came back with his hair tied in a messy bun, using one of Sidon's old hoodies. He went to their kitchen, putting all the stuff on their respective places. Sidon smiled, pulled the hoodie slightly just to make Link stumble back, and bended over, giving the small Hylian a quick kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apparently, all of my multi chap fics must have minimum 3 cheesy paragraphs. MINIMUM.  
> and i was thinking of epona as a corgi on this, those black and white and other colours ones.   
> and their car is one of those that are small, but bigger than smart cars. kinda like that up! car. i love that car.   
> and yes, this one is short. oh, and sidon has a pretty long hair.


	8. the sky is grey when the sea is blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> excessive use of italics ahead

His hands wouldn’t stop shaking. They refused to. But he could understand it, since his mind didn’t seem to be fully there. 

Instead, his mind was busy with shadows. Not the ones created by the lack of light, but by the ones who _were, who should be,who was going to be_. The ones that _should exist_  but he somehow couldn’t understand _why_  they weren’t there.

_tHE HeRo WIll SaVE eveRYonE!_

Link shook his head, trying to focus on the blue blankets tangled between his fingers. _My name is Link, I am from Hyrule, I am in Zora’s_   _Domain, Zelda is safe,I am brea--_

_THe HEro woN’T LeT ANyTHIng BAD haPPen!_

_I see two shelves on the wall--_

_thE SworD CHOSe HiM!_

_I see the--_

Where were his lungs, where was the air on his chest? Everything was swimming, nothing was in place. His heart was trying to escape from his body and he was slowly choking on nothing. Air just seemed to refuse to let him breath, to let him put everything in place and _make his hands stop shaking My name is Link I am from Hyrule--_

_THE HERO--_

His legs were agreeing with his head on the shaking matter, but he didn’t let it stop him _why is it so warm I need to leave where Sheikah Slate where is it_

Where was the air supposed to go into his lungs there was the Sheikah Slate near his quiver on the floor, he had put it there earlier, when he had just carelessly dropped everything and dived onto the bed Sidon had offered him _THE HERO WILL--_ His unstable hands managed to grab it and his arms held the ancient piece of technology to his chest. 

_Where--_

His eyes met the doors of the room, his legs slowly taking him out of it. Where was he going? _Somewhere with air, somewhere somewhere--_

He knew he was in the corridor that lead to the big hall where Mipha’s statue _Mipha, dear Mipha, Mipha let’s play a game!_ was, still glowing under the early lights of a new day, filling his eyes with an eerie blue so beautiful he could just look at it--

_Hello, Link!_

His body was just getting warmer, _warmer_. He needed fresh air, he needed someplace big where could just stay alone and breathe _and_  the shrine! 

There was the familiar glow of the Sheikah Shrine lights, a stark contrast with the pale colours of dawn. The Sheikah Slate _he could open the sanctuary_ it was peaceful, nobody was inside _Link! Where are you?_

He couldn’t feel his legs, not quite anymore, but he was sure the shrine was getting closer, and why was his face wet? Oh, tears. There were tears. He didn’t need tears, he needed air, his lungs didn’t seem to exist inside him anymore. 

There! Now, he just had to put the Sheikah Slate on it, needed to go into the shrine, needed _peace, silence, air he needed air let him breath please let him breathe why are there tears, he didn’t need tears--_

_Why isn’t it working?!_

_Link!_

He tapped the Sheikah Slate in place again, his eyes following the glowing lights around the shrine and they were so beautiful his head was swimming again, the lights were becoming a blur _why isn’t it working..._

_Link!_

His legs gave up on him, let his knees hit the wet floor around the shrine. He was almost shameful, the night clothes King Dorephan had so kindly provided to him were probably soaked, but why...

“Link!”

There was a slight pressure on both of his shoulders. That was all he could feel, his chest was still trying to find air between his tears, failing just like _Link where are you?_

_“Link!_ You’re here!”

His shoulders were lightly shaken by something, _someone_. His eyes found a stark colour to focus, a deep red colour, a weird contrast with all the tones of blue around the Domain.  _Someone_ was trying to get a hold of his cheeks, trying to take his eyes somewhere else. They found two big yellow and _blue_  eyes staring back, with worry with _relief_.

“You’re here. You’re in Zora’s Domain, my friend”

Link blinked, suddenly noticing there _was_  air, there were lungs inside his chest, and they were working.

“You got here two days ago”

The tears weren’t stopping, but there were no more waters inside his mind, no more shadows of things _that were supposed to_ \--

“You tasted shrimp pie yesterday on dinner. You said you loved it, but I saw your cheeks getting green”.

Only then he noticed he was slowly being pulled to a chest, a warm and _alive_  and breathing one, and it was soothing, almost like a symphony of silence to his mind.

“When we invited you to go into the palace, you tried to find somewhere to buy new shoes, because your boots were dirty with mud. It was adorable seeing you running around with children shoes”.

His lungs found something to focus, something that was forcing him to _stop_ , to _think_ , to analyze his surroundings. 

The Sheikah Slate had been dropped near the shrine’s pedestal. His clothes were only soaked to his thighs, his hair was a _mess_. His fingers found the colourful fins hanging off Sidon’s elbows. 

“I--” His throat felt dry, almost like he had swallowed the whole Gerudo Desert on a single shot, “I saw you playing with a fish in the lake. I took a picture of it”.

Sidon chuckled, carefully passing his fingers through Link’s hair, keeping the other arm around the Hylian’s shoulders.

“You’re collecting flowers to help Zelda’s experiment on a new elixir that might heal the sickness from winter. You found some really beautiful ones, my dearest”.

Link slowly nodded, letting his head rest on Sidon’s shoulder. His eyes looked at the sky again, admiring the pinks and reds and purples.

“You know...” Link whispered, holding Sidon’s fingers against his shoulder, “The sky is beautiful today”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to the really nice anon on tumblr for this prompt!!!! i had fun writing it  
> oh, and sorry if i didn't accurately portrayed a panic attack. that's just.... how they feel for me i guess


	9. night turns to day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> eventually, the stones become sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: major character death (implied lol)

Sidon bit his lip, holding the scarred and wrinkled hand on his on. Link had insisted on a walk near the lake outside of Zora's Domain. Sidon almost protested, trying to keep the small Hylian in his bed, protected from the cold and rain he knew the scarred body couldn't take without consequences. But who was ever able to argue with the Hylian Champion besides the Queen of Hyrule herself?

Link ruffled a laugh, observing a small frog trying to catch a fly out of the air. The wind was playing with his long, silver hair. Sidon held on his shoulder lightly, as if assuring himself Link wouldn't go anywhere he couldn't follow. The cold wind sent shivers down his spine, and he tightned the blanket around Link's shoulders, wanting to make sure no cold or any other sickness would reach him. Not now, not ever. 

"You know" Link mumbled, keeping a light grip (Sidon was telling himself it was because Link was afraid of hurting him somehow, he would never admit the Hylian lost his strenght in the last years. _Never_.), "I found some old seashells I got on the shore years ago. You know, after everything ended".

Sidon nodded, sitting down on the rocks underneath them, but keeping the blanket around Link's shoulders.

"One of them is a really pretty pink colour. Well, I think it's pink. Might be orange, I don't know. Anyway, it reminded me of Mipha. She used to have a necklace with a shell like that one when we were small".

Sidon nodded again, giving his husband a woobly smile. He was glad, ever so glad, Link began opening up to him and his friends years ago, talking about his adventures, his life, his friendship with Queen Zelda, to all the children in the Domain who bugged him everyday, asking for stories, trinkets he collected, drawings he made. His calm voice, carrying such strenght such  _power_ , delighted Sidon's every single day of their life together. The knot he was feeling deep in his throat seemed to get bigger, he didn't know why.

Link suddenly turned to him, a beaming grin in his wrinkled, yet so  _happy_ face, seeming to iluminate the night by itself. Sidon tugget his wrist slightly, carefully, until they sat side by side, Link's head resting on his chest, watching the small frogs on the lake having fun playing with each other.

"I found your tunic the other day," Sidon swallowed dry, for some reason feeling tears in his eyes," It still had the Zora patch my father gave you before he passed away; I bet you still can wear it and look as good as ever".

Link giggled, letting a frog jump to his thigh. His hand tightned aroung the Zora's bigger one. Sidon couldn't deny he barely felt the pressure.

"I bet Zelda wouldn't like to know I'm so careless with my clothes" He laughed again and sighed, "I wonder if I can visit her again someday".

Sidon nodded, for some reason feeling his breath catch on his throat. He adjusted the blanket around Link's shoulders, bending down to give the long hair a brief kiss, hoping it contained all his feelings. 

"Hey, Sidon" Link whispered, as if telling an important secret only the Zora King could hear, "You know I love you, right?"

Sidon nodded again, trying to not let his tears fall on the beautiful silver hair. "I love you too, you know I always will, little Hero".

"Good," Link smiled, opening his hand, "Then you won't mind taking care of this, yes?"

Sidon took the small seashell from Link's hand, holding it with such carefulness, afraid of breaking it and seeing the beautiful coral colour go.

It was surrounded by small cracks, a few scratches here and there, but it was obvious Link cheered it. It indeed, for some reason, reminded Sidon of his sister. He barely had memories of her, besides her delicate and kind personality, her smile whenever she helped someone. He closed his hand around it, promising to himself, to Link, to the Goddesses, that he would take good care of it. 

"It is beautiful, my dearest" Sidon whispered, watching Link's hand cover his own, a small smile adorning the Hylian's face. "I will take care of it, as long as I breath".

Link nodded, letting his head fall back to Sidon's chest.

"Good" Link smiled, watching the grey sky, "Thank you".

The silence was followed by the Zora King's grief, his laments screaming for the love of his dearest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to absolmon on tumblr for the prompt!!!! i learned how to hurt my own feels with my own writing!!
> 
> bruh i was listening to busted and blue while writing this, srsly never do that to yourself


	10. past winds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the wolf is more than what he looks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha heyyyyy yeah i should be finishing my essay  
> haha anyway

The wolf had no name. Link said it felt wrong to give him a name, instead of just letting him be.

He always appeared out of nowhere, silent but excited at the same time, always wagging his weirdly sharp tail whenever he saw Link safe and sound. Or, when Link was severely hurt and Sidon couldn't help him, he'd appear with sharp blue eyes and dangerous white teeth ready to fight to the end.

The wolf was a curious creature.

This was the first time he stayed with them the whole day, even after all the fighting was done. He was with them inside the dungeon, fighting the Bokoblin camp, running away from the ancient Guardians. It was uncommon, but Sidon could tell Link was pleased that the wolf didn't left them. They made a campfire, roasted some apples Sidon picked (the wolf barely licked his. He probably wasn't hungry). The time came for them to sleep.

Link curled up near Sidon's head fin and Sidon kept his hands close to Link's leg. The wolf laid down on a big rock just behind them. The stars looked beautiful.

Sleep was peaceful for them.

 

Sidon wasn't much of a light sleeper, even Link agreed with that, But he was the one that woke up when the wind seemed to move in a strange way. Almost as if something was suffering a big change and the wind was following it.

He opened his eyes. The sky was normal but, from the corner of his eyes, he saw a weird brown form. He turned his head slightly, trying to not disturb Link's slumber.

A pair of boots came into view. They looked old, slightly dirty with soil and grass. They seemed different from Link's boots. And they were swaying slightly.

That woke him up. He carefully stood up, getting ready to unsheath his sword--

"Ah, don't worry. I'm not here to fight", said a weird voice with an accent Sidon couldn't recognize from anywhere.

He blinked and looked up. Big blue eyes looked back at him, amused.

"Who...." Sidon swallowed, his brain screaming in confusion, "Who are you?"

"Hmm?" The stranger gave a quick look to the skies and back at Sidon, "Ah, I'm just a friend. You are Prince Sidon of the Zoras".

Sidon's braing unconsciously noted that the stranger didn't asked, he  _knew_ Sidon's name and title. He had a very confident and relaxed posture at the same time. He had messy, dark blond hair (a trait Sidon knew someone else had), he was wearing a green tunic, stitches closing tears here and there. He was still swaying his boot covered feet back and forth.

"You are going very well", the stranger smiled, his grin full of excitement and weirdly sharp teeth. Sidon blinked.

"We... we are?"

"Yeah, both of you" He jumped down from the rock, and only them Sidon noticed how small the stranger was, only a few centimeters taller than Link, "But tell him he needs to get better at swimming. Even I was better at this. Oh, an the apples were good".

Sidon blinked again, feeling weirdly sleepy.

"What...what apples?"

But the world fell silent, for Prince Sidon fell asleep, the wind went back to its silent ways and the wolf was long gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back at pretending i'm doing the essay


	11. aquamarine

Sidon always loved the wavy shine that appeared whenever the sun reflected on the water below and beside the kingdom. It made the Zora's Domain look like a giant, complex jewel, always in the horizon for everyone to appreciate it's beauty. Sidon hmmed to himself, moving his fingers so the light would dance between them, every so often his jewels shining bright white with it.

Link snorted, floating on his back. His hair was spread around his head like a messy halo, as if Sidon had dropped a jar of yellow ink on the water and left it to float around.

"I don't think your dad would like to know you're using your spear for that"

"What can I say? I might be tall--"

"Gigantic"

" _Tall_ , but there are many trees taller than me, my friend; and I like apples"

Link turned his head to Sidon slowly, messing the halo around his head even more.

"You _know_ you could have shook the tree just a little bit and you'd have all the apples you want"

Sidon shrugged, pretending there was no apple juice on the tips of his spear.

Link rolled his eyes and began to move his arms on the direction of the shore, his feet kicking the water calmly, ignoring the small orange fish trying to bite his toes and the tip of his ears. Sidon blinked, feeling a sudden wave of.... lethargy? Exhaustion? The sun shining bright on his head might have been the feeling of cotton behind his eyes, the heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Hey," Link mumbled, turning to him again, "Are you alright? You look tired all of sudden".

Sidon gave him a crooked smile, letting his head pend to the side. "Just had a lot of chores this week, my friend. Do not worry, I will be alright after a dive or two".

Link tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. Suddenly, Sidon was being pulled by his head fin to the water by the small Hylian champion. He could have simply told Link he wasn't up to swimming right now, he could have made any other excuse to stay on shore and Link would accept it and let him go, he could have batted his hand away.

But... he didn't want to.

His heart was suddenly very excited for the idea of going to the water, of swimming, _of swimming with Link_. Sidon blinked, letting his feet and his body sink into the water, his muscles now more calm than they had been the whole week.

_I enjoy this._

Link was emerged up to his shoulders, his legs working hard to keep him afloat. _Link can float very well, yes, but even that gives him work. He is not a good swimmer._

Sidon closed his eyes, letting his head sink below the water. His body felt _free_ , alive again. He was still tired, he still needed rest, but the river was like the feeling of coming home after days traveling, searching for what he wanted.

His eyes snapped open. He had an idea.

Swimming slowly around Link, observing him turn around trying to follow the big red stain under the big blue, Sidon observed again the blue messy halo around Link's shoulders. _Attack_.

Giggling to himself, Sidon jumped out of the water, putting his arms around a very surprised Link, picking him up. His gliggles turned into full laughter, and Sidon lay down on his back, putting Link on his chest and letting them float on the water below.

Link turned to him, his eyes big and shiny, just like the Zora's Domain under the sun. _Beautiful_.

"You," Link growled, pulling one of Sidon's fins playfully, "are not as funny as you think you are".

"I think I am, my friend; I made you laugh once or twice".

Link growled, pulled his fin a little bit more then let himself lay back down on Sidon's chest. Sidon let his eyes fall closed.

Sidon couldn't tell for how long they remained silent, only listening to the sounds of nature around them. For a minute or two, he swore Link had fallen asleep right there. _I don't mind,_ Sidon smiled to himself, _I could stay like this forever_.

"You know," Link mumbled, almost whispered, letting his fingers play with the little orange fish below them, "I have lots of weird dreams; in some of them I'm not even sure if it's me _me_ who is in the dream, or if.... If it's somebody else the goddesses created before".

Sidon blinked his eyes open, moving his arms slightly to push them to the middle of the river.

"In one of them I was... running away..."

For Sidon, and many other people in Hyrule he was sure of that, _Link_ and _running away_ were not two words that could be put in the same sentence. He knew it was a foolish thought.

"Running away from what?"

"I dunno," Link turned around, crossing his arms and resting his chin on them, "A bunch of plants".

Sidon stopped for a second, then snorted.

" _A bunch of plants_ ," He raised his eyebrows " _Really_ ".

Link pouted, trying to hide his smirk.

"If you think I don't know of your fear of chickens," He narrowed his eyes, " _You are wrong_ ".

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *me, raising from the dead*: i have no valid excuse besides college to be this inactive around here  
> oh well  
> (i'm always accepting prompts tho *wink wonk*)


End file.
